The mechanism of satire is one of
great effectiveness on the way a society thinks. The effectiveness is so great
because satire is so harsh. It exposes the ills of society, in a way that can
often be a shock to its audience. Making people aware of their own ignorance is
a thin line to walk on, but if and when they do realize their ills, it will
change the way they think and act. Satire would likely not be a tool today
without the Irish author of the seventeen hundreds, Jonathan Swift. His famous
piece, A Modest Proposal, was the
grandfather of all satire. In the piece, Swift uses disturbing and grotesque
proposals in attempt to make people aware of how truly corrupt society was.
Effectiveness of satire is highly
evident in Swift’s, A Modest Proposal.
The shock on people while reading his suggestions is what makes them aware of
the wrongs of how they live their lives. This alarming form of satire is shown
all throughout A Modest Proposal. “I
have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that
a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious,
nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and
I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout.” (Swift
3). When someone came across this, they must realize that there is a much
deeper meaning that the words on the paper. Surely Swift is not serious in
talking about they ways to prepare the meat of a human child. So when the
audience reads this, they think of what it really means, which is how wrong
society is. This shock to the mind can also be seen in other places of Swift’s
piece. “Those who are more thrifty (as I must confess the times require) may
flay the carcass; the skin of which artificially dressed will make admirable
gloves for ladies and summer boots for fine gentlemen.” People will see how
disturbing this is in the literal form, and then think about what Swift is
really trying to say, which is how bad society must be for a proposal of such
outrageousness to make sense.
Although A Modest Proposal is among the best examples of satire being
effective, there are more contemporary instances that can be seen that happen
in the world today. A popular television show, The Daily Show, is in fact some
of the most effective satire I have seen. For instance, the episode with John
Oliver, who is more of a humorous satirist, interviewing a representative for
the conservatives against gun control laws in America. Oliver makes jokes at
the man and tries to show him how gun control could work. The representative
says, “Gun control can’t work”. When Oliver responds that it already has worked
in Australia, and shows proof of this effectiveness, the conservative man
clearly sees his ignorance. (The Daily Show). The people who watch this show
will see the same thing, whether they support gun control or not, they will
understand that society is highly flawed and needs a change. This can also be
seen in the animated show, South Park. Almost every episode of South Park is
satirizing something or someone. Many people start watching an episode of this
show laughing, but by the end the show will have provoked sadness and/ or
disturbance, which will lead to awareness of the issue at hand and want for a
societal change. This is shown in the episode called “HumancentiPad”. The
audience will likely start the episode laughing at Cartman who refuses to buy
any other brand of iPad product besides Apple, even though the cost is hundreds
of dollars more and provides the same services as other products. (South Park).
Humor is used to show the ignorance and thoughtlessness of the character. The
participants will soon realize that they themselves are the ones who do exactly
as Cartman does, and understand that they are being as oblivious as this
cartoon character. This exposition of societal oblivion leaves the audience
with uneasy feelings, which causes for a willingness to change.
There are many more examples of
satire that should be recognized in A
Modest Proposal. We have already observed the disturbing form of satire
used in talking about the eating of the children. Swift uses other forms of
satire, such as irony as well. “After all, I am not o violently bent upon my
own opinion as to reject any offer proposed by wise men, which shall be found
equally innocent, cheap, easy, and effectual.” (Swift 9). Here, Swift is
literally saying that if anyone has another idea to offer on how to fix the
problem of his or her country, he would love for it to be proposed. The deeper
meaning here is that Swift wants so desperately to stop the poverty and
starvation of his country, but no one seems to have any ideas to offer. He is
targeting his own people here, saying that nothing will get better if they wont
try to do something about it, and although his proposal is disgusting and
horrible, at least he thought of something that would work. Irony is also used
to show the British that the problems of the Irish people could be solved in a
way that was not so gruesome and inhumane, if they would just listen.
“Therefore, let no man talk to me of other expedients: Of taxing our absentees
at five shillings a pound: Of using neither cloaths, nor household furniture, except
what is of our own growth and manufacture.” (Swift 8). He targets his own people and the British, showing them that these are all ways to
better their country financially, but no one will take them into consideration.
He is being sarcastic and saying none tell him of these solutions because surely
they won’t work, when in fact he knows they could and he wishes that the people
would put them to use. When people read this list, they will suddenly see all
of these possible solutions that they could try. They have read through pages
of Swift suggestion cannibalism, to find that he has thrown in legitimate
solutions for their country. This will make it clear to the audience that they
need to do something about their country and take action, before someone truly
does want to use cannibalism as a way to take beggars off the street.
When
observing the intense satire in Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal, and other outstanding satirical sources such as
The Daily Show and South Park, the evidence of the effectiveness of satire is
clear. When one finds themself being put on blast for being ignorant and
holding society back, they feel embarrassed and understand a need for change.
People feel comfortable when laughing and having a good time. When these
emotions have a sudden halt and there is a realization that the humor is in
fact being used against the audience or the society that surrounds them, uncomfortable
feelings are provoked and the want to dispel the ignorance becomes very strong.
Or, in A Modest Proposal, when a
disgusting, grotesque suggestion is made, it shocks the spectators so much that
they realize a deeper meaning of societal ill. Satirical effectiveness on
society has been seen since the first remarkable satire of Jonathan Swift. Since
then (in the seventeen hundreds) intelligent, apolitical people having being
using this mechanism to show society’s wrongs.
